January Eleventh, Eleven of Hearts
by Smeepalicious
Summary: Happy Birthday to WOWZAcoolBEANS. A simple-looking birthday gift becomes a whole new world of adventure for two sisters. Kingdom Hearts/Pandora Hearts XOver.
1. Chapter 1

Happy Birthday to WOWZAcoolBEANS. Everyone knows that there's no such thing as the Eleven of Hearts, that's ridiculous. And shouldn't that be the "King," not the "Kingdom"? What kind of card deck is this? Kingdom Hearts/Pandora Hearts XOver.

**A/N**: This is a fanfic that does not attempt to be serious, or even about the series. It unabashedly stars real humans—namely, my dearly beloved sister WOWZAcoolBEANS, for whose birthday this humble fic is a gift. (Yes, this chapter and chapter 2 were re-posted; because it looks like this fic will be much longer and more serious than previous birthday gift fics, I've broken with tradition and changed our names to slightly less ridiculous pseudonyms. If anyone catches an instance where I've accidentally left the names "Beans" or "Smeep," please alert me with a comment?)

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On a cold and dreary evening in a drab and ugly house in a snowy suburb of a nameless city completely devoid of bishounen of any persuasion, the sound of a clicket-clacketing controller echoed through the living room. Lenore Sherman was home from college, and had reclaimed her rightful place on the couch beside her beloved sister Cybele. The volume on the television was turned down low enough that the violent massacre of hundreds of Heartless wouldn't wake the two parental units who slumbered soundly above them, but that didn't stop the two girls reclining on the couch from giggling and commenting at every cutscene.

"I hate Kairi," spat Cybele as the aforementioned ingénue was abducted by a sexy man for at least the fifteenth time.

"Useless bimbo," Lenore agreed. "At least kick him or something."

"Or quit complaining. Some of us only _dream_ of attractive men materializing out of dark portals in our living rooms and carrying us away," said Cybele with a wistful glance at Axel's perfectly spiky red hair, broad black-robed shoulders, and fine pixelized posterior as he dragged Kairi into a dark portal, the foolish girl protesting the whole way there.

Lenore sat up with a start and looked up at the clock next to the television. "Hey Cybele, did you notice? It's 12:15; you've been seventeen for a quarter of an hour."

"Aw crud, I should get to sleep," she said, stretching her arms over her head. Although her glorious victory against the next day's final exams was all but assured, exhaustion was unlikely to assist in her endeavors.

"Hang on," Lenore said, pausing the game. "I want to give you your present. It'll only take a second." She left the room and returned a few moments later with a small gift. Wrapped in glistening paper and bedecked with a golden ribbon, it fit neatly in her palm. "You don't have to open it right now, but since I won't see you until after your exams, I wanted you to have it for good luck."

"Thanks Norah, you shouldn't have," Cybele used her affectionate nickname for her older sister, her smile radiant even in the dim television-lit gloom. Only she was allowed to call the girl 'Norah'.

"Don't thank me yet. Get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow," said Lenore. She turned off the television and the room went dark.

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"Well, Sora, what now?" Riku asked, stepping out of the transporter circle and joining Kairi and Sora on the command deck of the Gummi ship. Along with his message, the King had sent Chip and Dale to pick the trio up at Destiny Islands. Sora wasn't quite sure how King Mickey had timed their arrival precisely with the arrival of his message in a bottle, but he had learned to stop questioning some of the improbable things that occurred around him, and just go with the flow. He was adaptive—after all, he had only possessed the Keyblade for a little over a year (and could only remember a few months of that time), but already he felt as much at home here, at the helm of his ship in the shimmering blue pathways between the worlds, as he did reclining against the crooked trunk of the Paopu tree watching the sun set over the ocean. Especially now that Kairi and Riku were safe and by his side, anywhere they went would be home.

"Now," Sora said with a grin, "we storm Maleficent's castle!"

"Wh—what?" Kairi choked.

"Just teasing," he said, entering coordinates into the ship's navigation system. The display screen zoomed in on a cartoonish icon of King Mickey's castle as the ship's engines fired up. "We have to go see what the King meant in his letter."

"For such an honest little guy, he can be seriously cryptic sometimes," Riku said, scanning the contents of the curling missive once again, but unable to gain any more insight from the hastily scribbled note:

_One heart inherits darkness, and engulfs another; unlike lightning, tragedy may strike the same place twice. We must act quickly, if we are to find the light that will illuminate this darkness. –Mickey Mouse._

"I think he picked that trait up from Master Yen Sid. I couldn't understand a single word in any of his books." Sora rested an easy hand on the ship's controls as Destiny Island slipped away in the blue void.

The King was waiting to greet them in the gummi hangar when the ship touched down. "Sora! Riku! Kairi! Thank goodness you're here!" he shouted, hurrying to their side. "Come quickly, there's no time to lose!"

"Hold on a minute, Your Majesty. What's going on?" Sora asked. Mickey shook his head.

"Chip? Dale?" he said with a wave of his hand. The two chipmunks saluted and scurried off to the controls of a computer console whose huge screen dominated the hangar's wall. Sora recognized the image that flickered onto the screen as the icon that represented a world on the gummi ship's navigation computer. A ruined mansion and a clock with an unusual face protruded from a base of dark stone wrapped in chains. In the center of the world, a dome of dark energy was crackling; just looking at the icon made Sora nervous.

"What world is this?"

"Sora, when you get cold—really, really cold—some parts of your body get much colder than others, right? Your fingers, your toes, your nose and ears. That's because it's hard for your heart to send blood to points that far away. When you're cold, your heart has to send more warmth to the places you need to stay alive. You can survive without your fingers, but not without your lungs."

"Right…"

"Well, the worlds we know are all just parts of the Realm of Light. Kingdom Hearts is its heart. The paths between them are the veins, and light is like the lifeblood of the universe. This world, your world, Radiant Garden—essentially, all the worlds that are home to a Keyblade-bearer or a Princess of Heart—are all very close to Kingdom Hearts.

"But there are worlds that aren't so close. In order to exist, every world needs a connection to Kingdom Hearts, but there are some worlds that only have very thin connections, or only connect through other worlds. For example, the world Cloud comes from has no direct connection to Kingdom Hearts—it connects through Radiant Garden."

"And this world is one of those?"

"Even farther. This world is called Sabrie, and it's one of the several hundred worlds I studied with Ansem the Wise."

"Well, what's wrong with it?" Riku asked, getting impatient with the technical talk.

"The universe got cold. Sora, Riku, when you two fought to defeat Xemnas, Kingdom Hearts had to divert so much light to give you strength that Sabrie, and many of the worlds near it, just couldn't get enough."

"So what makes Sabrie different? I mean, why are we going there?" Sora asked.

"Because unlike other worlds, Sabrie shares a direct connection with a world within the Realm of Darkness—a place the people of that world call the Abyss. When the supply of light began to run low, the connection to the darkness grew stronger—the strongest it's been in a hundred years. Heartless are already escaping through that connection. If something isn't done, the darkness could seep over and infect the entire Realm of Light."

Riku shuddered. Kairi laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, but she couldn't quite banish the cloud from his eyes. Suddenly feeling reckless, Sora assumed a fighting stance.

"When do we leave?"

"Hahaha, that's the spirit!" Mickey grinned and turned to the computer console behind him, programming Sabrie's coordinates into the gummi ship.

"Now, as for Kairi…" the King began, then put his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. Donald and Goofy ran into the room, skidding to a halt a few feet from the King.

"You called, Your Majesty?" said Donald, bringing his hand to his forehead in salute.

"Hiya, Sora!" said Goofy, but at a sharp nudge from Donald he gave an apologetic 'whoops!' and assumed a similarly respectful stance before the King.

"Kairi," said Mickey, turning to her, "I know you want to go with your friends, but I think we all have to admit your combat skills aren't quite up to their level." Sora and Riku exchanged amused glances that quickly became apologetic under Kairi's angry glare. "Howabout you stay here for a while with us? Those two will go and check out Sabrie; meanwhile, Donald and Goofy here will teach you some combat and magic. Once you've gotten a little stronger, you can follow Sora and Riku anywhere they go."

Kairi balked at first, but it only took two minutes of argument and one brutal 'practice spar' with Riku to convince her that she could do with a few basic combat primers. She waved Sora and Riku goodbye as they lifted off from the hangar and set course for Sabrie.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Riku asked Sora when the younger boy started fiddling with the gummi ship's controls a little too gleefully, preparing to enter the first lock. "We don't know anything about the situation in Sabrie, let alone how to fix it when we get there."

"I always figure it out along the way," Sora said, grinning and punching the ignition straight into the shimmering keyhole of the pathway to the next world.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: This is a fanfic that does not attempt to be serious, or even about the series. It unabashedly stars real humans—namely, my dearly beloved sister WOWZAcoolBEANS, for whose birthday this humble fic is a gift.

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Sora could see the bright keyhole looming up behind the massive Heartless dreadnaught. The gummi ship had fared pretty well until this point, but the dreadnaught's cannons were hitting hard, and Sora knew the shields couldn't take more than one or two more direct hits. The next shell whizzed past ominously close to the teeny ship darting along at his left; the moment it was safely behind him Sora yanked the controls back in that direction, sending the gummi ship into a tight barrel roll and narrowly avoiding two more shots above him and to his right.

A blossoming explosion singed the ship's left wing then, startling Sora as the shield gauge began to pulse an ominous red. He narrowly jerked the ship away from one more shell, gunned the engines forward and up, and sailed right over the top deck of the dreadnaught, locking a missile on to the cannon, steadying his aim, and releasing the firearm…

"Ha! Bullseye!" he shouted, pumping his fist into the air. The shrapnel of the cannon's explosion followed them through the glimmering keyhole. The ship went into autopilot then, traversing the final wormhole that stood between King Mickey's castle and the new world, so Sora could finally drop his hands from the slightly sweaty steering mechanism. Flexing the stiffness from his fingers, he turned to Riku, whom he found doubled over in the copilot's seat, his face ashen white.

"Hey, Riku? You okay?" he asked. The glare he got in response could have melted lead.

"Did you have to make so many damn barrel rolls?" Riku gulped heavily, settling his stomach through sheer force of will.

"If you're this bad after one trip in the gummi ship, how did you expect to go days on that little raft of ours?" Sora teased, failing to fully stifle his laughter.

"I'm fine on boats! Remember Neverland? But all this _spinning_…" A fresh wave of verdigris flushed his skin at the reminder.

"Hey, haven't you ever been through the world pathways in a gummi ship before? How did you get around?"

"I used the corridors of Darkness, mostly."

"Yeah, and _those_ didn't make you sick…" Sora muttered. The ship floated to a halt and the transport pad started to hum, which meant that the ship's computers had found a connection point on the world and they could disembark. "Come on, I bet there's some place for you to lie down in this world."

"Right," Riku said, hoisting himself onto his unsteady feet. He shot a glance at the ship's viewscreen, now showing a world icon with a cartoonishly distorted brown house and a large tree; underneath it blinked the world's name. "Hey, that's not Sabrie."

"The King did say Sabrie is pretty far away from Kingdom Hearts. I guess we'll have to connect through this other world."

"Pff. New Town? What a stupid name."

"Oh, that reminds me. Riku, when we get down there, you're going to have to be a little more… uh…"

"What?"

"… not Riku-ish. Unless they're identifiably a Heartless, a Nobody, Maleficent, or Pete, you have to be nice to everyone." Riku grimaced. "No, really, _everyone_! The first people we meet are usually the people we need to help. I don't know why it works that way, but it does. So just… smile a little more." He grinned widely to demonstrate. "Like this!"

"Like this?" The older boy bared his teeth in a wolfish snarl.

"… We'll work on it," Sora said, and pressed the button to activate the transport pad. "Welcome to New Town."

Riku pulled his lips up in a painful smile and did his best not to vomit.

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Cybele's phone buzzed in her pocket.

'_3rd row near the end. BTW happy birthday!'_

She picked up her bag and headed for the high school's exit. Sure enough, Lenore's forest green four-door was idling in the third row of the parking lot; Cybele could see her older sister waving from the driver's seat. As she walked to the passenger side door, she rummaged in her bag for her sister's present.

"Finally! I thought today would never end," she said, climbing into the car and shutting the door.

"How did your finals go?" Lenore asked, narrowly avoiding a pair of clueless freshmen as she backed out of the parking space.

"Magnificently, of course. But they were so _boring_. Plus I couldn't wait to open your present! Okay, so I obviously could, because I did, but that's not the point." Cybele slipped her finger under the tape on the wrapping paper and began to tear the gift open. Underneath the paper there were two boxes, wrapped side-by-side. One was a wooden box—which explained the package's unusual weight for its size—whose lid was set with a mosaic of colored glass; the other was a narrow box of white cardboard. She set the more elaborate box on her knee and slid the lid from the white. Inside was a faceted sphere of glimmering yellow-orange crystal, with about the same diameter as a quarter, wrapped in a double helix of filigreed brass. It was attached by a short chain to a brass alligator clasp.

"Norah! It's gorgeous!"

"It's a keychain. It matches mine, see?" Lenore tapped the keys dangling from the ignition; hanging there next to their house key and Lenore's library card was a similar crystal, although hers was blue-green, and the metal wrapping around it—only one thicker spiral rather than the more delicate double helix of Cybele's chain—had a mottled greenish tint like oxidized copper; where Cybele's shone brightly in the sunlight and gave the impression of being constantly spinning, Lenore's seemed venerably antique. "Now you just need to get some keys to attach yours to."

Cybele chuckled and moved on to the glass-topped box. The stained glass on top allowed a badly distorted view of the contents, but she couldn't quite tell until she lifted off the lid that inside it was a deck of cards.

The cards were on heavy, glossy stock, a bit larger than standard playing cards. On the back of each card the same stained-glass mosaic design as the box's lid was printed, but that was the only similarity between them. The front of each card was startlingly unique. Some cards were recognizable, perhaps even standard-looking. The Ace of Spades, for example, looked much like any card of the same denomination in a Hoyle or Bicycle deck, save the bat-like triangular decorations surrounding the large central spade icon. Others sported strange distortions, almost like someone had taken bad translations of playing card names and depicted them on the cards—Cybele noticed an eleven of hearts, a three of diamonds which instead depicted three triangles formed into a single triangle, and a four of clubs which simply showed a grinning skull and crossbones. The card which bore the letter K and a heart symbol in its upper corner did not depict the dual-headed Charlemagne of a standard deck, but rather a dark castle silhouetted against a glowing moon in the shape of a heart. Still others seemed more like tarot cards, like "The Alchemist," which bore its name in simple script beneath a crowned, snake-draped cross, and "The Angel," which depicted the aforementioned winged entity holding a cup and a sword aloft. Despite the disparity of their depictions, they were stylistically similar and looked beautiful together.

"…Do you like it?" Lenore asked. She couldn't remember why she'd thought the deck would be a good gift. It wasn't a usable deck, and even if it was, Cybele didn't play cards. All she knew was that when she'd spotted the box dusty and forgotten under a shelf in her favorite antique store, it had suddenly become important to purchase it.

"_It's awesome!_ Some of these look familiar, I'm not sure why…" Lenore's self-consciousness over the gift vanished as her younger sister began to draw card after card out of the box, flipping past them in feverish excitement. For the first time Lenore wondered just how many cards were in the box—Cybele had a sizeable handful scattered across her lap already, but the box didn't seem to be emptying. She shrugged and decided to focus on driving; the high school's parking lot was a treacherous enough place without offering portions of her valuable attention to what she was sure was just an optical illusion.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: This is a fanfic that does not attempt to be serious, or even about the series. It unabashedly stars real humans—namely, my dearly beloved sister WOWZAcoolBEANS, for whose birthday this humble fic is a gift. As for the Pandora Hearts timeline in this chapter (and, obviously, from here on out), it begins around the time of the Unbirthday tea party, right before Isla Yura appears; this chapter's quick blurb is set during Chapter 45.

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Elliot sat in the window-seat of the library, staring blank-faced at the neatly trimmed garden of the Nightray manor. He had abandoned all pretense of reading about twenty minutes previously, and the volume of Holy Knight in which he had failed to immerse himself was draped across his leg. He kept replaying that old nursery rhyme about the Queen of Hearts in his head—which, vaguely disturbing though it was, was better than the distinctly more vivid images that usually flashed through his mind when he allowed it to wander.

There were the usual nightmares, of course, whose frequency did not diminish the bleak terror their images induced—his father's sword in his hand, bodies slashed and draining through the holes in their finely tailored clothes, a splatter of blood across his chin and lips wafting the horrid scent of gore up into his nose. But there were new nightmares now as well. They were similar, in a way, with the bodies lying lifeless at his feet, but in these dreams there was no blood. The corpses were immaculate, pristine but unquestionably dead, drained of something far more vital than blood. Friends, enemies, strangers—his twisted black claws (_claws?_) slashed through hordes of them, one after another, as though they were nothing more substantial than the specters of a dream. His flatly glowing golden eyes darted restlessly back and forth, seeking something within the fleeing crowds he knew he needed to obtain.

He wondered if this was how it felt to be a Chain.

"Elliot?" His hand shot out reflexively for the book and he lifted it to his face. Leo's black hair bobbed out from the doorway; he could hear the light click of jostled teacups against a metal tray.

"Your book is upside-down. How cliché," Leo chuckled as he set the tray down beside his master. Elliot scowled but dropped the book. "What's wrong? More nightmares?" Leo's glasses reflected the spotless gardens beyond the window pane as he poured a thin stream of bergamot-scented tea into the china cup.

Elliot said nothing, only pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Elliot?" Leo paused, silver tongs poised over the sugar cubes.

"Two sugars."

"That wasn't what I was asking," Leo said, but dropped the requested cubes into the steaming cup and held it out for his master. The Nightray's arms didn't move; his head tilted away, staring out into the garden again. Leo sighed and set the cup down on the tray.

"Talk to me, Elliot," he asked. "Why are you upset?"

"Who the hell said I was upset?" Elliot spat.

"No one." The irony hung thickly off his servant's words, but Elliot would sooner throw himself in front of a rampaging Chain than admit to something once he'd denied it. He grabbed up the teacup and gulped down its contents like the Earl Charles Grey himself had done him a personal wrong. "Come to the salon when you've finished reading; we can work on your new piece together."

"Who's the Master here? I'll go where I like," Elliot snapped, picking the book back up (right-side up this time, he made sure). Leo took the empty teacup from his Master, picked up the tray, and left the library. He knew by the time he had reached the kitchen, emptied the kettle, rinsed the cup, and walked to the salon, Elliot would be sitting on the piano bench scowling, and ask him why he'd taken so long.

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Riku stumbled off the greenly glowing gummi port and towards the nearest non-floor horizontal surface in New Town, which happened to be a large couch. Without so much as a glance at his surroundings he faceplanted himself in between two cushions, drew his knees up into the fetal position, and rode out the last of his nausea clinging to the faded purple upholstery. A part of him—the part constantly reliving that year spent alone in the darkness, endlessly pursuing and being pursued—was appalled. '_Get up!'_ he told himself. _'Heartless! Nobodies! Witches and big, fat, stupid dogs! They're everywhere, in every world, all of them looking for Sora. Every one of them wants to use him or change him or kill him. Get up! Get up, and protect Sora!'_

Several minutes passed before Riku felt well enough to obey that frantic urging. He tried to push himself up on his forearms, ignoring the feeling that his brain was sloshing around anchorless in his skull, but a hand on his back halted his upward motion. He swung around, bringing his hand up to summon Way to the Dawn, wondering how much force he could afford to spend on throwing his attacker backward with his elbow if he wanted to save enough momentum to bring his blade down in the same motion…

"Riku! It's just me!" Sora was kneeling next to the couch with a glass of water in one hand; the other, which had reached out for Riku, was now withdrawn, hanging in the air like it didn't know what to do with itself. "Note to self: no touching without warning." He chuckled, but Riku could see a touch of unhappiness in the corners of those blue eyes. He let his blade vanish.

"I'll search the area," Riku said, moving to get up again; he made it as far as standing upright, but this time it was Sora's scowling face that stopped him. "What? Sora, we don't know where we are, there could be Heartless all over the place, I can't afford to lie here—"

"Nuh-uh," Sora interrupted. "You're not feeling well. Sit." He pointed his finger down at the couch. "Drink." He handed Riku the glass of water. "Slowly," he said when Riku looked ready to down the glass in one gulp and get it over with. With an exasperated sigh, Riku flopped down onto the couch and took a small sip of water. "Good!"

That goofy smile—Riku knew it would be the death of him someday.

"Have _you_ at least looked around? Made sure there aren't any homicidal Nobodies lurking around the corner?"

"I'm not _that_ dumb," Sora said with a pout. "I saw the place when I went to get you water. We're in somebody's house. Heartless don't tend to hang around inside buildings unless someone's called them there or they have a special incentive. I don't think there's anything here they'd be interested in."

'_There's you,_' Riku thought, but kept silent. For the first time, he gave a good look to his surroundings. They were in some family's living room, decorated in muted purple, green, and grey; the sharp white angles of the high, sloping ceiling and cutaway walls reminded him uncomfortably of Castle Oblivion. The gummi ship's transporter pad had materialized in the middle of the grey-carpeted floor, glimmering gently in front of a large television. Riku could see a piano and bookshelves in the next room, a black-and-white tiled foyer next to that, and a snow-buried garden in a sloping back yard beyond the windows.

It really didn't seem like the type of place Heartless were likely to hang out. It seemed normal, peaceful…

"Hideously _boring!"_ A feminine voice accompanied the sound of the front door opening. "I hate exams."

"Good thing they're over. Now you don't have to do anything but enjoy yourself all weekend. Hey, did you get the mail?" A second voice asked. "Hang on, I'll grab it, you go inside."

Riku shot a look at Sora, who seemed totally unperturbed. He gave Riku the universal canine-owner's gesture for 'stay,' ran a hand through his spiky hair, then walked confidently toward the door.

"Hi there!" he said, giving a cheery wave to the girl who had just entered the foyer, her arms filled with half-wrapped gift boxes. She stopped dead, mouth hanging open, eyes wide behind her glasses. "My name is Sora, and that grumpy guy over there is Riku. We need to rest in your house for a little while, but we'll try to get out of your hair as quick as we can. Is that okay?"

The girl said nothing, only set her presents down on a long table that ran along the foyer wall, keeping her unblinking eyes fixed on the spiky brunette before her. Riku took a deep breath and _slowly_ sipped his water. _'Be nice to them, Sora says. Okay, I can be nice to the crazy staring girl.'_ He slapped on his most winning smile (the one Tidus and Wakka had called his 'ladykiller' ever since it once sent Selphie into near-apoplectic spasms) and went to stand next to his friend. "Sorry to intrude. Like he said, I'm Riku. What's your name?" He held out his hand to shake hers.

"N-Norah?" the girl blurted out. "Wait, I mean, no, my name's not Norah, I'm Cybele, and I—Norah, get in here!" She spun around, opened the door and stuck her head out. "LENORE MINERVA SHERMAN, the mail is _not important!_" she shouted, then turned back to the two boys, smiled hugely, and began to violently strangle-hug them both. "I can't believe you got me _cosplayers_! You're the best sister _ever_!"

"Cosplayers? What in the blazes? I didn't hire anyone…" the second voice returned. Behind the hugging, squirming mass of strawberry blond hair that currently had a chokehold around his neck, Riku could see the new arrival standing in the doorway, a sheaf of magazines and junk mail in her hand, and emblazoned in red on her chest…

"Sora, get back!" Riku shouted, throwing Cybele and Sora off him and summoning his Keyblade. "She's a Heartless!" He bull rushed the unsuspecting girl, throwing her backward through the doorway and sending her sprawling inelegantly on the house's doorstep in a pile of glossy fashion magazines and neon yellow offers to refinance the house's mortgage for a low, low fee. He swung his red-black Keyblade up over his head, but the girl managed to roll away before the downswing; the key's winglike teeth ricocheted off the cement porch with a clang. She had rolled on to her feet now, but Riku was already swinging his blade around faster than she could dodge. She threw her hands up in a reflexive bid to protect herself as the blade cut toward her with deadly accuracy.

"Riku, no!"

"_Norah_!"

CLASH—

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lenore shouted, brandishing the long metallic object that had just materialized in her hand at Riku, who had staggered backward, Way to the Dawn flying from his hand.

"But you're a Heartless! How can you—"

"A _Heartless_? This is a sweater, you psychopath! It's _mer-chan-dise,_" she said, drawing out the syllables and gesturing to the red thorn-crossed heart emblem on her black zippered hoodie. "You need a serious reality check. This isn't a video game, you could have killed me! You could have… hey…" she trailed off abruptly, confusion and a small amount of fear replacing the flush of rage on her face. Very slowly, her eyes slid down from where they were trained angrily on the disarmed silverette to her own arm… and the long copper vaguely-key-shaped weapon it was holding.

"What the hell?" Lenore and Riku muttered in perfect unison.

Cybele looked from Sora to Lenore to Riku, then back to Lenore.

The copper Keyblade looked sturdy yet elegant, antique yet timeless, as though the very concept of an antique key had been enlarged, elongated, and given a hilt and accents of blue-green. From its guard dangled the keychain Lenore had bought as a pair to Cybele's birthday gift. Cybele knew that this particular keychain had been attached to Lenore's keys, which were currently sitting in Cybele's coat pocket after she had used them to unlock the front door. She therefore knew that everything she'd seen was patently impossible, and resolved to sleep more, eat better, and watch Lenore play Kingdom Hearts less in the coming days, and in so doing to hopefully avoid further bouts of insane hallucination.

But just to be sure... she drew the keyring from her pocket.

The keychain was not attached to them.

She glanced to where her own keychain was sitting on the table next to her, concealed within its box and a tangle of torn wrapping paper. Then, drawing a deep breath and wishing with an intensity no Disney princess could ever hope to match with her paltry evening stars, she held out her hand and mimed gripping a weapon's handle. The box on the table rattled slightly. The weight of an elaborate, keenly glimmering brass key settled in her hand.

Cybele spun the Keyblade ("Tomorrow's Clarity," a small voice whispered to her brain) around in her hand like a sharpshooter in a Spaghetti Western spins his pistol. "Well, this is officially the best birthday ever," she said matter-of-factly. "Sora, Riku, it's great to meet you. I'm Cybele, that's Lenore, and welcome to our world."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: This is a fanfic that does not attempt to be serious, or even about the series. It unabashedly stars real humans—namely, my dearly beloved sister WOWZAcoolBEANS, for whose birthday this humble fic is a gift.

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Lenore and Cybele were frustratingly tight-lipped about their initial behavior towards the two Keyblade wielders. Cybele had welcomed them to their world, but would not tell how she knew they were from a different one, and said no more on the subject. They refused to define the word "Cosplayer" or to explain the origin of Lenore's Heartless sweater; when Riku pressed, Lenore removed the sweater and stashed it somewhere, then pretended it didn't exist. Most disturbing of all, when Sora began telling them the 'Abridged-for-New-Friends' version of his story—the version which eliminated most of Riku's involvement with Maleficent and 'Ansem'—they kept casting each other significant glances. It made Riku uncomfortable. He suspected the two knew more than they were letting on. They didn't smell even remotely of darkness, and if they _were_ spies of some sort they were doing a terrible job of avoiding suspicion, but Riku couldn't think of any other way to explain the way their pitying eyes invariably flicked to him any time Sora attributed one of his deeds to a faceless henchman, or omitted a major battle or event.

Sora trusted them, of course.

Sora had trusted Jack Sparrow, Axel, Iago, Maleficent, and Riku himself. Those had all worked out fine in the end, but Sora was obviously not the shrewdest judge of character.

That was all right, though—Riku could be mistrustful enough for the both of them.

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"Wow, you're really good!" Sora enthused, meeting Cybele's weapon twice in midair and taking a hit on the inside of his arm; he feinted left and landed a quick tap on the girl's shoulder. When he'd offered to spar with the two sisters, Sora had expected to need to go easy on them. Cybele, at least, was proving him wrong.

Sora's padded sword—a stand-in Lenore had provided from a stock of foam-softened practice weapons she called "boffers" that reminded Sora of Struggle bats—came down for a hit, but was deflected away with a muffled thwump. Three failed strikes later, Cybele made a successful sweep at Sora's ankles; it left her shoulder unguarded, but rather than take advantage of it, Sora disengaged and gave Cybele a grin. She wasn't 'winning' by any means, but she was better than Sora had been when he first received the Keyblade—she had been able to land a hit for every two or three of Sora's, and could parry pretty intuitively.

"Where'd you learn to fight?" he asked.

"Nowhere," Cybele responded. "But dad always said I took after our Great Great Great Great Granduncle Sherman." The strawberry redhead stepped back a few paces and caught her breath, letting the boffer dangle by her side. She looked around at the knot of tracks left in the thin snow during their sparring match. Next to Sora's humongous sneaker prints, the tracks of her own tiny feet seemed all the more diminutive.

"Granduncle Sherman?" Sora asked.

"It's a long story. Just don't mention us in Georgia," Cybele responded, taking advantage of their truce to watch her sister and Riku, who were sparring across the yard.

Lenore was breathing heavily, obviously getting badly beaten by the smirking silverette. Riku was striking rapid-fire at Lenore's arms and torso, blocking the girl's every attempt to retaliate and taking advantage of any drop in her untrained guard. Sora could see a familiar look on Lenore's face—he knew Riku had forced him to wear it more times than he could count, back in those early days on the island before anything was at stake but pride. It was a mixture of intense concentration, frustration, and resignation: knowing you've met a superior opponent and all you can do is flail your arms and pray that you learn from your defeat.

"Ow!" she exclaimed as Riku dealt an unnecessarily sharp blow to her neck; she took several steps backward, out of his range of attack, and rubbed gingerly at the reddish welt rising there. "The hell was that for? That hurt!"

"You think the Heartless are going to fight with foam and plastic? Do you think they won't aim for your neck?" Riku asked. His weapon fell to his side and he looked away. His tone was light and mocking, but there was something about his manner that made Sora feel uneasy.

"I'm not fighting a Heartless right now, am I? I'm just fighting a grey-haired old grouch," Lenore responded, rolling a crick out of her neck and moving back into a ready stance.

"Maybe you aren't fighting them now, but you will," Riku said. He ignored the implicit challenge in Lenore's words, taking a few steps away from her toward the mulched garden bed of a trio of short snow-dusted trees. He squinted into the dimness at the trunk of the central tree, as though he saw something out of the ordinary in the shadows between the trees' trunks and the yard's wooden fence, then shook his head. "Heartless follow the Keyblade. Now that you have it, you'll attract them wherever you go. If you choose to be weak, you're putting everyone around you, everyone you love, in danger." He engaged Lenore again, and talking was replaced by the smack and swish of combat.

Beside Sora, Cybele shivered. From the cold air or from Riku's cold words, he couldn't tell.

"Cold?" Sora asked her. Thanks to the magic of his clothes he was immune to all but the most extreme weather conditions; thirty degrees were nothing to him. The girl next to him, however, had obviously not planned on a great deal of time outside when she got dressed that morning. A pair of black sweater tights, now soaked to the ankle with freezing water, originated from a pair of cuffed denim shorts too short for the weather. Above that she wore a colorful, thickly beaded vest and a turtleneck shirt in vibrant primary red. Sora liked her clothes. They were eccentric and untraditional, yet feminine. They suited Cybele.

"Maybe a bit chilly," she responded.

"Come here," he told her. She eyed Sora's boffer warily, so he chuckled and dropped it. "I'm not trying to trick you." She set hers down too and moved next to him; he put an arm around her shoulder and tugged her in closer. "Stay close to me, I don't want you getting hurt," he said.

Cybele's cheeks suddenly felt less cold.

"Ready?" She nodded. "All right. Fira!" he called out, and a circle of flames erupted around them; the resulting blast of hot wind whipped at Cybele's hair and clothes until they were pleasantly warm and bone dry.

"Whoa!" they heard Lenore gasp from beyond the flaming wall. "When can I learn to do _that_—"

"After you learn not to drop your guard in the middle of a battle," Riku said. As the flames faded around them, Sora could see Riku pounce on the girl, who only barely managed to deflect a vicious downward swing. Riku's momentum carried him past his opponent, so he swung his arm backward, landing a solid blow across Lenore's back that sent her stumbling forward and onto her hands and knees in the snow.

"Riku!" Sora called, and the other boy turned. When his eyes fell on Sora, then traveled the length of his arm across Cybele's shoulders, Sora saw something chilling flash behind his eyes. "Lay off her, Riku," Sora said firmly.

"Not until she fights me like she means it," Riku said, tossing his boffer aside. Lenore was getting to her feet, her own sword still gripped in her freezing fingers. Riku surged forward; she brought her boffer up in a defensive reflex.

"Riku, no!" Sora shouted. Lenore's practice sword was lying in the snow in two pieces, its core of blue foam and white plastic exposed in cross-section, and Riku's Way to the Dawn was flashing upward to strike Lenore.

The copper Keyblade appeared in its wielder's hand in time to block the blow and parry Riku's next several strikes away. The clash of Keyblade on Keyblade came sharper and faster than the sounds of the practice battle before, Lenore matching the motions of Riku's blade barely fast enough to keep its razor wingtip from slicing her skin. Riku fought with broad sweeps that caught at Lenore's loose jeans and tore holes in her tee shirt. Lenore took a completely defensive tack, putting all her strength and concentration into keeping Riku as far away as possible. With every parry she lost ground, until she felt the heel of her foot bump against the fence. The blows didn't stop, so she did the only other thing she could think of—she sliced forward, slashing a gash in the boy's tautly muscled upper arm.

Riku barely winced, though blood trickled down his pallid forearm. Lenore landed another hit on his arm, and a slightly deeper strike on his side below the ribs, but then a firm counterstrike unbalanced her and she fell backward, sliding ungracefully against the fence.

"_Stop!_" Sora appeared behind the silverette, Keyblade in hand. He hooked his blade's shaft around the taller boy's chest and arms, restraining him from moving forward. Which was fine by Lenore—she was nearly flat on the ground, and the bat-winged blade was inches from her face. She had to cross her eyes to see the tip. Cybele was at her side in moments, her own glittering Keyblade drawn and pointed threateningly toward Riku as she crouched protectively over her older sister.

When Sora chanced a glance at Riku's face he expected to see anger, disgust, the hollow blankness of insanity, or some other expression which would correspond with or justify what he'd just done. Instead, he got a relaxed smirk.

"That's how you do it," Riku said, allowing his blade to vanish and his hand to fall to his side. "You still need a bit of work, though."

Lenore blinked several times in shock. "Nutcase," she spat, and scrambled away as quickly as she could.

Sora moved to follow her, but Cybele held up a hand. "I'll go. You… figure _this_ out," she said with a vague gesture toward Sora's smugly bleeding companion before she followed her sister inside the house.

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Lenore was sitting on the couch dripping muddy ice water onto the carpet. Cybele might have been worried about what their parents would think of the mess, if a pair of video game characters hadn't materialized from a glowing portal in the living room earlier that afternoon.

"Norah? You okay?"

"Bruises and scratches." She shrugged.

"That wasn't quite what I meant." Cybele sat down next to her sister and searched her for serious injuries. Lenore's short brown hair was sticking up in erratic spikes and curls. Her jeans were shredded and muddy; her favorite shirt—a brown cotton tee with the boldfaced words Still Not King on the chest—was brutalized almost beyond recognition. Only one wound was deep enough to have drawn much blood, a graze along her left knee that had nearly severed the lower half of her jeans' left leg.

"I'd say 'I don't know what his damn _problem_ is'… except I do," Norah said, leaning back into the couch cushions and letting the trembling in her limbs subside.

"Hey Norah… Do you think we should tell them? Maybe what we know could help—stuff about Ven, Aqua, Terra, where Xehanort comes from…"

"I don't think we can assume that everything in the games is exactly the way it happened in… real life." Lenore stumbled slightly over the last two words. "Besides, what would you think if two know-nothing girls from a momentary pit-stop of a backwater world suddenly claimed to know more about your adventures than you yourself?"

"Probably that they were lying. Or evil. … Actually, probably both."

"That's right. And I've already had two closer brushes with Riku's Keyblade than I'd ever hoped to have."

"Hey, I thought you wanted to meet Riku!" Cybele teased. She found it infinitely amusing that Lenore seemed to be getting along so poorly with the boy she loved so much in the games.

"Yeah, but when I imagined the blossoming of our beautiful love, it somehow didn't involve intimate acquaintance with the business end of his weapon," Lenore said, wincing and bringing her hand up to touch a slight nick on her chin. "He's not an easy guy to get along with."

"But Sora is just as sweet as I always thought he'd be…" Cybele said, earning her a raised eyebrow from her elder sister. She blushed and changed the subject. "Have you named yours yet?" Cybele asked. It was a mark of how utterly insane their day had been that she didn't need to specify what she was talking about—there wasn't room in the conversation or in their heads for anything but Keyblades and their wielders.

"I don't think I had much choice," Lenore said, chuckling. "The thing _wants_ to be 'Yesterday's Grace.' What a girly name," she sighed.

"Mine's the same way. 'Tomorrow's Clarity.' No argument allowed. Not that I mind, I think it's a cool name. Way cooler than 'Yesterday's Grace.' Bleagh," she teased, and Lenore cracked a smile. "… So you're not mad at Riku? I think he was trying to help, in his own crazy way."

"Nah. I couldn't stay mad at him long. He's far too pretty. More like I'm suspended in a state of perpetual mild irritation toward him."

"Him and everyone else," Cybele quipped.

"Hey, you're one to talk!"

"Come on, I'm not nearly as bad as you. You don't like _anyone_."

"Not true. I like you," Lenore said, giving her little sister a one-armed hug.

"But I am the magnificent exception that proves the rule," Cybele responded, ignoring Lenore's cold, damp skin as she leaned into the hug. "How long do you think they'll stay?"

"Well, it's not like we can put them up in the guest room," Lenore said, laughing at the prospect of their parents' faces if they requested a sleepover with two fit, handsome teenage boys—fictional warriors of light or otherwise. "They're on a mission from King Mickey, remember? They'll have to leave soon. They probably just stopped off to repair the gummi ship or something."

"Maybe they'd drop us off in Radiant Garden for a while, if we asked. We could learn some magic from Merlin, practice with our Keyblades… we could tell mom and dad we were going on a road trip or something."

"That sounds amazing. World's best vacation!" She grinned and winked at her little sister, then left to change her ruined clothes. On the bottom step of the stairs she paused. "I'll get stronger," she muttered to herself. "I just need a little time."

Cybele stayed seated on the couch watching the gummi ship's port glimmer gently on the floor, trying to shake the feeling of unease that had settled over her ever since the confrontation in the garden. She felt the unsettling need to keep her eyes open. As though the circle had cut forcibly into the fabric of her boring yet peaceful world, and would warp and fray the edges if she blinked.

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"I wouldn't actually have hurt her, you know."

"Riku…"

"I knew she had it in her. Back on the porch she disarmed me easily, even though I was going all-out. She's just the type who responds better under actual pressure." Sora bandaged the cut on Riku's bicep. He could have just cast some Cure magic, but he felt like Riku deserved a little pain after attacking and terrifying an untrained, unsuspecting ally. He'd survived worse.

"And you weren't feeling… y'know… strange?" Sora asked, tying off the bandage and peering into Riku's eyes. He could recall a time when they had been a darker green; now they were cyan, almost blue and strikingly pale. But even though the King believed Xehanort's influence had been totally purged from Riku's heart when the Heart Encoder had exploded, every so often Sora expected to glance into that face and see the Seeker of Darkness's cold amber eyes staring back. Riku seemed to sense the track Sora's mind was following. He blinked and turned his eyes away.

"I was myself when I attacked her. I really was trying to help." And Sora knew he was telling the truth. Riku had treated him the same way for years on the island. It wasn't that Riku really cared about the name of their raft, or who got to eat the last slice of barbecue chicken pizza, or who got to be the 'prince' to Kairi's 'princess' when they would play Castle in the tree house, but he would challenge Sora over every little detail just the same. Not because he disliked Sora, as Sora had thought when they first met; nor only because he had an ego like a two-ton sandstone block, immense and un-bruise-able (although it contributed to the problem); but because he knew, as Sora now knew, that whenever they fought, both of them grew.

Sora chuckled, and Riku looked at him with surprise and relief. "Just don't attack Cybele like that, okay?"

"What, don't you think she could handle it?" Riku scoffed.

"She'd be just fine; I'm not sure _you'd_ be so lucky. You should have seen her face when you started in on 'her Norah'—it was terrifying."

"You don't think there's anything… strange about that?" Riku asked tentatively. "The way Lenore fights seems normal enough for a girl who keeps a stash of Struggle bats; she's clumsy and slow, but knows a little about judging distance and how to move and block. But with the weird sweater, and the way Cybele fights…"

"She says it's got something to do with her uncle; I didn't really follow. But they seem nice! They don't smell like darkness, do they?"

"No, but—"

"See? Your creepy Nose of Evil Olfaction is good for something," Sora teased. "Cybele doesn't have to be a Heartless spy to have natural fighting talent. Speaking of which, what are we going to do about them? Having a couple extra warriors of the Keyblade flying around can't be a bad thing, especially if things go poorly in Sabrie."

"We'll talk to the King. Maybe they can join Kairi in whatever training she's going through."

"But that's a long way in the other direction, to take them there…"

"We don't need to do it immediately. They'll be fine here until we're finished in Sabrie, and then we can pick them up on our way back home."

"But if there are Heartless…"

"As long as they don't draw their Keyblades, the Heartless won't sniff them out for a while. We have time—"

"I think we should take them with us!" Sora interrupted.

If facial expressions had sound effects, Riku's would have made a resounding thunk like a castle's drawbridge clanging shut. "Out of the question."

"But if they could be in danger here—"

"They'd be in more danger where we're going. They haven't got a shred of experience, and no way to defend themselves if we get in a tight situation."

"They could learn on the way…" Sora said, but his resolve was wavering.

"So you'll take these two girls you've just met with you, despite the fact that there is _definitely_ something fishy about them—no, Sora, don't interrupt me—but you'll happily forget all about Kairi and leave her behind with Doofus Duck and the Dumb Dog Wonder? God, this is Traverse Town all over again!" Riku's voice had risen to a shout. "Is this just because she turned you down? She doesn't want to be with you, so you dump her off with your other buddies and pick up the next cute girl who blushes at you? Some friend you are, Sora."

Sora staggered backward as though struck. Riku's eyes were wide with horror, and his mouth kept opening and closing again like he couldn't decide between spilling out enough apologetic words to drown the last ones he'd spoken or welding his lips shut forever.

The day after they came home to Destiny Islands, Sora, Kairi, and Riku rowed out to the play island with Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus, to celebrate their return from their "study abroad program." They'd gone fishing, made a gigantic sand castle, and played in the ocean until the sun set. Riku had been unfairly good at Marco Polo, thanks to the months he'd spent living and fighting from under a blindfold. Then they lit a bonfire and talked until midnight. It had been one of the best days of Sora's life. So after Selphie and Tidus had snuck away to fool around under the dock and Wakka had conked out from Blitzball-induced exhaustion by the fire, he decided he would make it even better. From where he'd been half-dozing next to Wakka, Riku had overheard the whole thing: Sora's awkward confession, Kairi's soft laughter that faded into horrible silence when she realized he wasn't joking, her murmured apology. During the year Sora had been asleep, Wakka had introduced Kairi to his brother Chappu. Now they were "kind of dating," and "besides, I always thought of you as a brother," and "I'm just really, really sorry, Sora, but I hope you understand…"

The funny thing was, Sora did understand. A few days of mandatory wallowing and three pints of ice cream later, Sora came to terms with the fact that his childhood crush had moved on, and his own feelings for her were largely the same; he liked the idea of taking her to movies and spending plenty of time with her, but when he tried to imagine kissing her it just seemed like it would be awkward. Sora was actually pretty proud of the fact that he hadn't let the failed attempt at romance impact his friendship with Kairi. So to imply that he'd left her behind on purpose…

"Sora!" Riku shouted suddenly; Sora looked up, hurt and angry, but the genuine alarm in Riku's eyes yanked him out of his resentment and dropped him into battle mode. He spun around to look where Riku's eyes were staring. Skittering out of the shadows behind the garden fence, popping up from puddles of darkness on the icy ground, or materializing from the sky and dropping to their feet with clatters and clanks were hundreds of Heartless, all converging on the brown brick house.

The two boys summoned their Keyblades at the same time, instantly jumping back-to-back and blasting a wide chunk out of the seething mass of Heartless with their Limit attack. Glittering hearts spun and rose into the sky like released balloons, while their erstwhile owners dissolved on the ground beneath them.

"Why are they here? Do you think… four Keyblades at once…" Sora asked, letting a thunderbolt blast away a swarm of Blue Rhapsodies that buzzed around his head.

"Not a chance… too many to just have been wandering around. Someone sent these!" With a broad sweep of his blade, Riku sent a Neo Shadow flying; it dissolved as it hit the ground.

"But who?"

"Like I'd know!" Riku took a Defender's spiked shield shot to the arm and gasped. "Sora, have you got Potions?"

"Not many; I hoped there would be a Moogle here to restock," he called, digging in his pocket and tossing one of the sparkling pots at Riku, who let it shatter and the healing liquid slosh against him. "This could be bad!"

Behind them, Sora heard the house's door open and a pair of shocked gasps.

"Crap. The girls!" Riku swore. Sora took off toward the doorway, hacking a path for himself.

"Riku, follow!" he shouted, and the older boy did, slicing aerial Heartless out of the sky over Sora's head while Sora dealt with the ones on the ground. Cybele and Lenore had drawn their Keyblades, but the swarm of Heartless was too close and too dense—neither could swing at the black wave surging toward the door without risking hitting the other. They backed up into the house, pursued by the bug-like shadows.

Sora vaulted over the helmeted heads of several Soldiers and skidded into the kitchen, Riku close on his heels. The house was in shambles—windows shattered, tables and chairs on their sides and broken beyond repair, books and knickknacks in pieces on the floor. Lenore and Cybele were retreating into the living room, taking some serious damage in the process.

"Cura!" Sora shouted; his own wounds, Riku's, and the girls' glimmered and knit themselves together. Riku wordlessly shattered a Mana Potion over Sora's head, and Sora used the fresh strength to strike every Heartless in the house with a massive Thundaga. In the momentary calm that ensued, Riku slammed the door shut and, using his Keyblade, locked it magically against the Heartless incursion.

"Well, that ought to keep us safe for approximately twelve seconds," Riku said, rooting through his pockets and pulling out a pair of thick, rune-stamped rings. "I guess these are all I've got. Put them on." He tossed one to Lenore and one to Cybele, who slipped them on without question.

"What can we do?" Cybele asked, trembling slightly.

"I'm taking you to Yen Sid. He's a magician, and I think he'll help us; his tower isn't too far from here. Neither of you have ever noticed a large Keyhole in any incongruous place, have you?" Sora asked. The two girls shook their heads in unison. "Then we can't seal it now. I'll try to get you two equipped, and then we'll come back and fight." Sora looked at Riku, silently daring him to contradict his decision to take the two sisters along; Riku had the decency to look ashamed, and said nothing. "Come on," he said. The gummi ship's port glowed more brightly as he stepped onto the pad.

"Wait!" Cybele shouted, and dashed from the room, returning a moment later, flushed and clutching an ornate wooden box set with stained glass. "It felt wrong to leave it—"

"No time for explanations, just move!" Riku shouted, and pushed the two girls onto the pad as well. A moment later a Defender's shield smashed through the wall, followed by its owner's lumbering body and a hundred flattened, skittering Shadows, but the four Keyblade Warriors had already vanished in a flash of green.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: This is a fanfic that does not attempt to be serious, or even about the series. It unabashedly stars real humans—namely, my dearly beloved sister WOWZAcoolBEANS, for whose birthday this humble fic is a gift.

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There were two reasons why, for the first time in her life, Cybele was grateful for her sister's debilitating motion sickness.

First, it meant that Lenore and Riku spent the gummi ship flight to Twilight Town in a tense-yet-unbroken truce. Riku was obviously unwilling to apologize to the girls: perhaps because he was proud, but more likely because he sensed their acknowledgment, however grudging, that his methods were effective. But Norah was not about to let him confuse effectiveness with acceptable behavior. In the infrequent moments when she moved from her position—doubled over in the passenger's seat behind Sora—it was to level a Terrible GlareTM at the silverette in the shotgun seat. At least she didn't have the energy to pick a real fight. For some reason Sora and Riku didn't seem to be speaking to one another either, and although the ride to Twilight Town was smooth and free of barrel rolls Cybele suspected Riku hadn't quite recovered from his own queasiness. He seemed content to clench his jaw and spend the ride in silence.

Second, by taking care of Norah, Cybele was able to keep her mind occupied with something other than the tumor of dread festering in her stomach. She hadn't mentioned the foreboding feeling to Lenore, as mentioning anything related to digestive organs was taboo while the older girl was anywhere near a boat, an airplane, or (apparently) a gelatinous spaceship. But Cybele had seen her sister play through Kingdom Hearts. Within the first half hour she had learned—in addition to the fact that three mushrooms, two coconuts, and a raw seagull egg would be sufficient to feed three adolescents on a sea voyage of indefinite length—what usually happened to unlocked worlds overrun by swarms of Heartless.

Cybele didn't have the faintest idea where her world's Keyhole might be; she wasn't quite sure how the whole Keyhole business even worked in 'real life.' As far as she knew, her world was huge—the Keyhole could be in Bangkok or Alaska or some African jungle just as easily as in her backyard. She and Norah could search their whole lives and never find it, whereas the Heartless could pop up wherever they liked and outnumbered the sisters by hundreds of thousands.

The odds seemed… poor.

"Is this the best vacation ever yet?" she whispered to Lenore, breaking the flight's tense silence just as the ship's computer connected with the port at the Twilight Town train station and the teleport circle began to hum.

"Come on," Sora said. Cybele hadn't noticed he was beside her until his half-gloved hand landed on her shoulder. There was something so reassuring about his smile. She picked herself up; Norah put a bit of weight on her arm then stood as well. "You come too," Sora said, pointing an imperious finger at Riku, who dragged himself out of his seat like there were lead weights on his wrists and ankles. "…Wait, nuh-uh, not a chance. We can't leave like this!" Sora said, looking back and forth between Cybele, Lenore, and Riku, and shaking his head.

"What, Sora?" Riku asked with a weary sigh.

Sora pointed his finger at each of them in turn. Riku: "You're scowling." Norah: "You're grimacing." Cybele: "You look like someone just ate your puppy."

"We never had a puppy. I think she made that face when our mom killed her goldfish with dish soap, though." Lenore said, chuckling; Cybele swatted her on the arm.

"See, that's it! This ship runs on smiles, don'tcha know." Sora grinned and bounced up and down on the balls of his improbably large feet in excitement. "Now, let's all apologize and be nice, okay?"

When neither Norah nor Riku seemed inclined to follow Sora's advice, Sora turned to Lenore, crossed his arms, frowned grumpily and lowered his voice to a gruff, mocking baritone. "Lenore, I am sorry for attacking you like a crazy person in your garden! Sometimes my incredibly shiny hair invades my brain and overrides my better judgment, so I cannot be held accountable for my otherwise inexcusable actions."

Then he spun around and faced Riku, voice pitched in a high falsetto. "That's okay, I forgive you, Riku! And _I_ am sorry for giving you so many mean looks, but it's impossible to look at you without narrowing my eyes like I'm glaring angrily, because your hair is just so _shiny_!"

Back to the low voice; "Why thank you, Lenore. I must say, you and your sister have hair that is remarkably shiny as well; if it appears that I am glaring at you at some point in the future, know that I am merely doing my best to admire it while shielding my sensitive eyes from its brilliant glow!"

High voice; "Oh stop it, you! Now you're just flattering me."

Low voice; "I mean every word! Would I lie to someone with such fabulous hair? And don't even get me _started_ on your perfect wit, or your sister's impeccable fashion sense—"

"_Sora!_" Riku sputtered, face turning red.

"All right, all right," Sora laughed, taking mercy on his mortified friend. "But this apology counts for real, okay? No more grouching, no more fighting. We've got Heartless butt to kick." He threw them all a grin and stepped onto the transport circle, 99% sure that he could count on them to follow without tearing out each others' jugulars.

They landed in the Twilight Town train station, and Cybele was more than a little staggered. The station itself was nothing special, but still… Seeing the ticket counter, the bulletin board, the trash bins overflowing with crumpled posters and popsicle sticks, and the warm-colored walls bathed in the orange light of the setting sun glinting through the wide glass doors was like some strange déjà vu. The world of her favorite game had come alive around her with an accuracy and perfect sensory detail no dream could emulate. It was dizzying, exhilarating, more than a little terrifying, and her brain was having trouble catching up.

Sora handed Riku a jingling orange pouch. "We're high on Munny and low on Potions, so we should probably stock up. Remember to stop by the Accessory store and pick up some basics. Emphasis on defense." Riku left for Market Street while Sora, Cybele, and Lenore boarded the blue-starred train no one else in the station could see.

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"Welcome back, Sora. Welcome, Lenore and Cybele," the sorcerer said when they arrived at his tower. They hadn't told him their names yet. It didn't seem to matter. He stood among the cypress trees that lined the edge of his private floating hillock, contemplating the stars. Lenore couldn't tell whether he had truly been expecting them, or whether there was simply nothing left that could surprise the wise old wizard who had made the miraculous his trade.

"Master Yen Sid," Sora replied, bowing politely; the wizard acknowledged him with a slight nod. "We hoped you could help us. You see, Riku and I stopped at their world on our way to—"

"Sabrie, yes. I have been in correspondence with His Majesty," he said. "Surely, my former apprentice informed you that there is little time to lose."

"I know that, but… well, we got kinda swamped with Heartless while we were in New Town. We still haven't found the pathway to Sabrie, and if we could close New Town's keyhole while we look for it, that would be great, but to do that we needed to come here and equip, and we could use a little help teaching Lenore and Cybele some magic, and…" Sora babbled. One of Yen Sid's bushy grey eyebrows arched, the only change in his otherwise stony expression. "They're Keyblade wielders too, and their world is in danger. Can you help?"

"I am sorry, but their world is gone. From this very terrace I saw the star fall, overrun and consumed by the Heartless."

The look on Yen Sid's face could have been sympathetic. It could also have been taciturn, disapproving, early-morning-sleepy, or dead.

"I'm so sorry!" Sora burst out; he seemed very close to tears. "We should have stayed! I could have helped! I'm so, so sorry!"

"There was nothing we could do," Lenore said, putting a hand on her silent sister's trembling shoulder. "To be honest… we could tell this was coming before we even left. With that many Heartless, even you and Riku were getting badly roughed up. Cybele and I wouldn't have stood a chance. We owe you for getting us out of there, otherwise we would've just gone down with the rest of the world."

"That is true," the sorcerer agreed. "You are untrained, inexperienced, clumsy, and foolish; a danger to yourselves and others." Sora, Lenore, and Cybele's jaws dropped into identical expressions of horrified shock at his brusqueness, but he let a tiny smirk creep onto his mouth: the first smile Lenore had seen him wear. "But your hearts are strong. The weapons you hold are proof enough of that. And it is those who learn from the mistakes they make who walk the truest paths afterward." His smile became a bit more nostalgic as he fingered the brim of his silver-starred hat.

"Can we… I mean…" Cybele began, swallowing heavily. "Will we be able to bring it back?"

"Certainly," he replied. "Just as Sora did before you. The time for that has not yet come. Kingdom Hearts will test you when it deems you worthy, and the path to what remains of your home will open. But first, you must grow strong."

"Then… should we send them to see the King? I know Kairi is there training now," Sora said, remembering Riku's accusation in New Town and feeling a little guilty.

"Sora, you of all people must know that strength in combat or magic alone will bring you only so far. No, the training Lenore and Cybele require cannot be found in the barracks of Mickey's castle. Take them with you to Sabrie. Content your reluctant friend with the knowledge that I have prescribed it, and that there, the strength of their hearts will grow. I will give you what help I can to prepare. Some magic, to begin…" he glanced at Lenore's shredded jeans and the sorry state of Cybele's favorite vest. "And the fairies will see to a change of clothes, I think." With a snap of his fingers Yen Sid opened the tower doors and ushered the three of them inside.

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Riku came to meet the other three at the tower, toting two shiny new sets of magical jewelry, four glistening blue ice pops, and enough Potions and Ethers to heal an entire platoon. "Moogle or no moogle," he said to Sora when he met him at the side of the tracks, "we'll be well-stocked in Sabrie."

Off at the foot of the tower, Lenore and Cybele were practicing magic with Yen Sid. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had already changed the girls' clothes, with a great deal of excitement on Cybele's part and not so much on Lenore's. For a full ten minutes the three fairies had debated about the color and cut of every tiny accessory on Cybele's body. The argument over which color would be proper for her beaded vest grew so heated that Cybele herself had to step in, saying that she liked the vest multicolored, the way it was. They seemed to think this was a reasonable compromise, and all three shot the outfit through with brilliant primary colors.

After seeing the way they fawned and fussed over Cybele, Lenore had almost forbidden the fairies to come near her. Cybele loved clothing, but Lenore had never been one for fashion of any sort, and, though shredded, she was sure her jeans and t-shirt were preferable to whatever the colorful fairies would come up with if she let them. After they explained how the magic in the clothes would improve her speed, stamina, and balance, and how they could withstand just about anything without a stain or tear or offensive odor, and how they would be able to change to suit whatever world they landed in, and how she could eventually access different Forms… Lenore still wasn't convinced. In the end, all three fairies had to swear a solemn vow not to stray from the approved tee-and-jeans aesthetic before Lenore would consent.

The result in both cases was little more than an embellishment on the clothes the girls had worn there, with the exception that their shoes had inflated in size. Cybele had gained a pair of asymmetrical arm guards. Lenore had gotten fingerless gloves. The caption on Lenore's shirt had disappeared: the fairies had disagreed about what it ought to say, and in the ensuing magic fight the shirt had apparently decided enough was enough, and now bore only a large white question mark. Lenore didn't really mind.

Riku inclined his head politely to Yen Sid as he approached, and the sorcerer signaled for his two temporary apprentices to pause their casting. "Greetings, Riku. His Majesty informs me that much gratitude is owed to you and your superior strength of heart."

"His Majesty is kind, and speaks too kindly of me. I can only hope whatever good I've brought about is enough to balance the damage that I've done." Riku's words were bitter and formal, but it was obvious in his face that the thought of King Mickey's praise warmed him. "I've brought a peace offering for your students," he said, and held up the ice cream and the gear.

"You may have them in a moment," the sorcerer replied, then gestured him away. Riku retreated among the cypress trees. Yen Sid pointed a commanding finger toward Cybele. "Continue."

Cybele nodded and raised her hand above her head. "Thunder!" she shouted. Electricity crackled around her, harmlessly striking the grass at random. The master nodded approvingly and gestured for her to proceed. She bit her lip and hesitated.

"Something wrong?"

"N-no," she said. Her hand came up in front of her and she frowned in concentration. "Mm… Magnet!" she said without conviction. A tiny orb of magic appeared in front of her, flickered, and died.

"Again."

"Magnet!" The same result.

"Again," he said. His stern expression never changed. Cybele's shoulders tightened with frustration.

"_Magnet!_" she shouted. The orb sustained itself for a few seconds, long enough to pulse slightly before, with a slight, stinging headache, Cybele let it die.

"Acceptable." He turned away and pointed to Lenore.

"Fire!" By no means as effective as Sora's demonstration in the garden earlier on, Lenore nonetheless managed to produce an acceptable spiral of flame. At the sorcerer's approving nod, she moved on to her second spell.

"Defense!" She pushed her hands outward. Only the movement of the grass around her feet and the sudden sound of wind betrayed the invisible shield that sprang up around Cybele.

"Interesting. I didn't believe I had instructed you how to direct your shield to guard another. I presume you intended to shield your sister?"

"Learning to shield her was sort of the point, sir," Lenore said. The wizard nodded.

"Very well. Riku, you may conduct your business. May I send your regards to His Majesty?"

"I'd be very grateful," Riku responded, and Yen Sid moved to leave.

"But… wait!" Sora shouted, halting the sorcerer's steps. "What about the pathway? If New Town is gone, how are we supposed to find Sabrie?"

Yen Sid turned to Cybele looking confused. "Haven't you told him?" She called his confused look and raised him an utterly bewildered eyebrow. "Ah, of course! You would not yet know. Come, show me what is in your pocket."

Cybele reached into the left hand pocket of her shorts and pulled out 34 cents and her plastic school ID.

Yen Sid glared at her.

She smiled sheepishly, dug around in her right pocket, and produced the glass-inlaid box of playing cards Lenore had given her that morning (was it really only a few hours ago? It seemed so much longer) along with the brass keychain. The sorcerer gestured for her to remove the lid.

"Speak the name 'Sabrie' and draw a card from the deck," he instructed, and she did as she was told. The card she drew was at least laid out like a standard playing card, but it looked wrong in several ways. Although the emblem in the corner was clearly a heart, the card was inked in black instead of the hearts' usual red; the number 11 surmounted it. In the center of the card, rather than eleven neatly spaced black hearts, there was a single round seal like the stylized face of a clock. Its spiked, sinister hands pointed to eleven o'clock, and a web of black stretched between them.

Sora's Keyblade appeared of its own accord and landed in his hand with a jingle as the card rose to the sky in a halo of light. One rather impressive light show later, the card floated back down into Cybele's hand and the glowing outline of a keyhole faded from the dusky sky.

"Your world was a crossroads; the axis at which a thousand worlds converged," the sorcerer said. "The two of you possess knowledge that even I do not. No, Riku, do not ask it of them," Yen Sid warned when Riku shot the two of them a deeply skeptical look. "For although you have amazingly powerful knowledge, knowledge that could alter the fate of this and every world… you do not yet have the wisdom to use it well. Hold it close, and guard it as you guard the Cards of the Crossroads. Until you restore your home, that deck is the sole lifeline that ties a thousand worlds to the Light. Now go."

The tower doors shut firmly, and no more questions could be asked. Cybele looked from Sora to Riku to Lenore and back again, but all of their faces just reflected her own confusion. She shrugged her shoulders. At some point, things just get too weird, and one must start to roll with the punches.

"… Well, what are we waiting for? The ice cream is melting!" Sora said, and started walking back toward the starry train. "Come on, I know the most awesome place to eat it, you guys have _got_ to see it before we leave. You can see the whole town from up there!"

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The impromptu garden tea party, cheerfully christened the "Unbirthday" party by a grinning Oscar Vessalius, was vibrant with chatter and the glistening clink of teacups and forks against saucers and pastry plates.

"I'll tell you clearly this time," Elliot growled at the chipper blond sharing the trunk of the tree against which he was seated. "Your uncle lacks the dignity of a duke! He _really does!_"

"Ah… maybe you're right," Oz chuckled and stretched his arms over his head. "But everyone is smiling! And the sun feels good, doesn't it? If you just sit in the dark reading all day you'll go blind, and have to get big thick glasses like Leo has."

"You don't need glasses if you're blind, idiot." Then again, his servant didn't really need his glasses either… He smiled slightly, thinking of Leo. Although he seldom admitted it out loud, Elliot was truly grateful for his servant's devotion. After his strange nightmares, only talking with him or working on their latest collaboration—which they had just decided to name "Dearly Beloved"—could distract him. Without his friend and servant by his side, he startled at every noise and jumped at every shadow.

Although, if Elliot hadn't been so on-edge, he might not even have noticed the quiet skittering noise in the garden's foliage and the one shadow that didn't shift along with the leaves in the breeze.

He was on his feet in a moment. On account of his jittery mood, he had propped his sword up against the trunk of the tree between himself and the Vessalius brat, so it was close at hand. He drew it and thrust into the roots of the bush where the black thing was squatting. The shadow zipped away toward the center of the tea party, dodging between feet and the legs of tables or chairs. Some of the people milling about jumped backward with squeaks of surprise or slight alarm, clearing the way for the shadow to run straight for the feet of Xerxes Break, who drew his sword from where it hid within his cane and drove it nonchalantly through one of the creature's lamplike yellow eyes. It dissolved where it had stood, leaving no trace behind.

"No need to worry, everyone. Go back to your tea," Break said, and flapped his too-long sleeves in the direction of the central table and the teapots steaming upon it. The whole thing happened so quickly that most of the partygoers hadn't even noticed; they glanced up briefly at his announcement and returned to their conversations. Of the few who had seen the thing, only Oz and Elliot seemed remotely interested. The nobles among them tittered nervously but did nothing, and the members of Pandora shot each other knowing glances or tactfully averted their eyes.

"What the hell was that thing?" Elliot strode over to Break, sword still free and swinging in his hand. Oz followed, nervous but excitable like a child who'd found an exciting insect but wasn't sure whether or not it would bite. In a way, Elliot supposed that was exactly what had happened. The shadow thing had been buglike in many ways—as black and rounded as an ant, and as easily squished.

"Just a nuisance, young master Nightray, nothing more. Certainly nothing with which you should concern yourself." Break had turned away toward the long central table and helped himself to a plate of some no-doubt-sickening confection. Elliot couldn't identify it, but it was dome-shaped and frosted a peachy orange-pink.

"Break…" Oz prodded. "Come on, was it dangerous? Have you seen one before?"

Break let out a long-suffering sigh. "I would tell you if there was anything to know, Oz. Yes, I've encountered these creatures before; no, they don't appear to be terribly dangerous. They pop up from the Abyss, seemingly at random, and are similar in most ways to Chains. The only differences our researchers have noted thus far is that they lack the speech capability and rudimentary intelligence possessed by even low-level Chains, and they need not form a contract to remain outside the Abyss. We've decided to call them the Unchained. As I said, they seem to be nuisances only. Anyone with the slightest weapon proficiency can take one down with ease."

"But if things are starting to escape from the Abyss…"

"My darling Oz, malevolent creatures have been escaping from the Abyss since long before you were born. The only difference is that these are easier to dispatch. An entire division of Pandora has been created to research the Unchained. Until it is determined that they pose a significant threat, I suggest you focus on finding—"

"_Big brother Xerxes!_" Sharon Reinsworth hurried over, carrying her voluminous skirts so that she wouldn't trip over them in her haste. Several voices were exclaiming in shock, many more than had noticed the Unchained earlier on. "Come quickly…"

Break immediately set off, following his young mistress; Oz followed Break out of curiosity and habit, and Elliot followed Oz out of indignation at the rude interruption. At the far end of the garden two of the delicately set tables had been upturned. Shards of broken china glinted in the manicured grass. Gilbert and Liam stood among the wreckage looking confused; at their feet lay four unconscious bodies, draped atop one another.

"Break!" Gilbert said, looking uncharacteristically relieved at the sight of his employer.

"Xerxes! We didn't know what to do!" Liam said. He was holding a pair of silver sugar tongs that had somehow been badly bent. Elliot noticed Gilbert was holding his gun strangely too, with the barrel resting in his palm and the handle protruding outward "They just sort of… fell from the sky."

"Are they dead?" Break asked, nudging the nearest body roughly with the silver tip of his cane. The body in question responded by shifting slightly so that its arm flopped limply onto the grass. Elliot couldn't quite discern the maybe-corpse's gender; its facial features seemed feminine, and beneath the piled body of its discernibly female companion, he thought he could see the unmistakable swell of breasts, but it was dressed in mannish mid-length trousers and had shorter hair than he had ever seen on a woman other than his sister.

"No, just unconscious." Gilbert mimed whacking them over the head with the butt of his gun. "What should we do with them?"

Break snapped his fingers. A pair of lower-level Pandora members appeared on either side of him. "Reno, Rude." They brought their hands up to their foreheads in salute. "Take these four to your supervisor and have him store them in the holding rooms until they wake up."

"Wait!" Elliot said, moving over to the pile of bodies and pulling the one discernible female into his arms. "You can't just do this to a lady, it's barbaric!"

"I apologize for my manners, young master Nightray," Break said. "Reno, Rude? Would you please escort our unexpected guests to your supervisor, then bring them some place to rest and recover from their exhausting travels?"

"Yessir," they said in unison. The redheaded goon scooped the girl out of Elliot's arms and threw her over his shoulder, then grabbed her androgynous companion around the waist and hoisted them both up. "If you'll excuse me," he said with an impish wink toward Elliot. The two of them carried the four newcomers away as though they weighed nothing, and left Elliot fuming with rage.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: There is no earthly reason for this chapter to have taken so long. I'm sorry.

A quick clarification about Lenore and Cybele's knowledge—they do not have any prior awareness of Pandora Hearts. In this universe, stories don't appear on L&C's "Earth" until they've used the cards to travel there—Kingdom Hearts being the exception, because their worlds are already connected.

As usual, this is a fanfic that does not attempt to be serious, or even about the series. It unabashedly stars real humans—namely, my dearly beloved sister WOWZAcoolBEANS, for whose birthday this humble fic is a gift.

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Riku woke up to a face full of brilliant red hair, and immediately leapt to his feet.

"Axel?!" he shouted, closing his fist in midair and expecting Way to the Dawn to appear as it usually did. When his Keyblade failed to materialize, Riku's heart stuttered in terror.

"Woah, calm down, buddy! Dunno who Axel is, but it isn't me. Name's Reno," said the redhead. On closer inspection, the facial tattoos weren't quite the same as Axel's, nor were the eyes the same striking green. Still, the man leaning over him by almost a foot made Riku very uneasy. He wondered if he would forever harbor some instinctive loathing of this kind of bright redhead. It didn't help that his hand kept clenching and unclenching on empty air where his weapon should have been.

"Mmm, wha… Axel…?" Sora piped up sleepily, disbelievingly from Riku's left, and for the first time Riku glanced at his surroundings. He, Sora, Lenore, and Cybele had been brought to a well-appointed Victorian-style sitting room, and clear springtime light was filtering in through the large damask-draped windows. Cybele and Lenore were heaped together on a chaise lounge on one side of the room, still unconscious; Sora was blinking his eyes awake in a brocade-upholstered armchair identical to the one right behind Riku. On the floor, an elaborately drawn circular sigil was glowing. Every time Riku tried to summon Way to the Dawn, the light from the sigil would pulse menacingly. Riku tried walking past the edge of the circle, but ran into an invisible barrier with a barely-audible thump.

"Man, who's this Axel guy I look so much like? Have I got an evil twin someplace?" said Reno. He shrugged and followed Riku's eyes to the sigil on the floor. "That's a magic-cancellation circle, by the way. The boss doesn't want you trying anything funny until he's had a chance to check you out. If you just wanted to join the party, you probably shouldn't have done something stupid like fall out of the sky."

Oh. Right. The Gummi ship.

When King Mickey had said Sabrie was a long way away from Kingdom Hearts, he hadn't been kidding. The Card of the Crossroads had opened up a pathway directly to the outlying world, but it had still been a very long flight, and the farther they flew, the thicker the swarms of Heartless battleships became. Even if they'd been able to rest and repair along the way, it still would have been difficult for Sora to get through the blockade of Heartless ships just outside Sabrie's wormhole. As it was, they'd already taken too much damage purely from the attrition of the lengthy journey, and the ship went down almost immediately. He remembered falling, landing, and the briefest glimpse of a fancy garden party before a blinding pain in his skull made the world go black. The long and short of this being, of course, that the Gummi ship was gone and they were trapped on this far-distant world, apparently prisoners of a man who could keep them from summoning their Keyblades as well.

"Let us go, _now_. I don't need my Keyblade to beat you to a pulp," Riku snarled, advancing on Reno. The redheaded man held his hands up in a placating gesture, but Riku was not about to be placated. He hated being trapped. He backed the stranger up against the edge of the magical barrier, where he stumbled and came to a halt. Apparently the barrier was keeping Reno inside as well. Good. Riku pinned him there by his neck, not hard enough to harm him, but certainly enough to menace him. "Take. The circle. Down."

"So… you must be Riku," a deep, calm voice said from the doorway. "I guess I should have expected you'd be hot-headed."

Sora's sleepiness evaporated, changing immediately to excitement as he leapt to his feet. "Auron!" he yelled and ran over to the recent arrival—a tall, battle-scarred man with dark hair and a wry sort of smile. Sora apparently hadn't noticed Riku testing the edges of the barrier earlier, because in his enthusiasm he collided head-on with the invisible wall and fell backward. Despite the significant bump to the head, however, he kept right on grinning.

"You know this guy, Sora?" Riku asked, befuddled.

"Yeah! We fought together against Hades! But what are you doing all the way out here?" Sora asked. "Is this the world you're from?"

"Not initially," Auron responded. There was a brief, awkward silence as Sora waited for Auron to elaborate, and Auron failed to offer any further information. Riku locked eyes with Sora, who shrugged and didn't press the issue. Apparently it was normal for this Auron guy not to be very forthcoming.

"Hey Boss… A little help…" Reno wheezed pleadingly. Auron's eyes flicked to him disapprovingly. After a few calculating moments, he let out a small 'hmph' and did nothing. Riku didn't need to keep menacing the redhead, though—it was clear that this Auron guy was the one who could get them out if he wanted—so he let the buffoon go.

"So you're the 'boss' here, huh Auron? Hey, Riku, we don't have to worry! If Auron's in charge, this place can't be bad!" Sora said, abounding as usual with optimism that Riku could not and did not share. As far as he was concerned, there was plenty of reason to worry.

"Bullshit. If he's such a great guy, why are we stuck in a cage?" Riku demanded. Auron just sighed.

"Firstly, stop looking at me like any second you expect me to draw my sword and kill you all," he said, and pulled an envelope from his pocket, dangling it up so that Riku could see it clearly. It bore King Mickey's seal. "I'm in league with His Majesty, so calm down. Secondly, I don't intend to keep you prisoner. I had Xerxes draw up the circle so I could be sure you were what you seemed to be. The King only told me to expect two of you; when four showed up, I had to be wary. The Heartless here have some unusual abilities."

"But how can you tell it's really us, huh?" Sora asked with a challenging tone as he got once more to his feet. "We could still be Heartless spies, you know!"

"If you were Heartless—or Nobodies, or any other sort of unnatural creature—you'd be finding it a lot more difficult to move right now. … Also, you were so excited to see me you actually injured yourself. No spy could pretend to be that dumb," Auron responded. The words were clearly an insult, and gruffly spoken, but there was a nearly undetectable undercurrent of affection in them. "You're definitely Sora. And if you say that's Riku, it's Riku. After all the time you spent looking for him, I'm guessing you wouldn't settle for an impostor."

Sora beamed. "You bet! That's the real deal, Mr. Grumpy himself." Riku shot him a glare.

"… But that still leaves the two you brought with you," Auron said as his eyes moved toward the two sisters, still unconscious on the lounge. "I can't let you go until they're awake."

"Oh! I'll get them! They're fine too, you'll see." Sora jogged over to the sisters and knelt down next to them, shaking them awake. "Hey, you've got to get up. We're in Sabrie, sleepy time is over!"

Cybele woke almost immediately at the sound of Sora's voice, blushing slightly when she opened her eyes and Sora's face was only inches from her own. Lenore, however, remained sleeping slightly longer, and didn't wake until Cybele prodded her firmly on the nose. She gave a small yelp and rolled off of Cybele and onto the floor. Sora shot a significant look towards Auron, who shrugged and scuffed out one of the lines of the circle with his toe. The whole thing stopped glowing. Reno immediately scrambled backward and deposited himself on a divan on the far opposite side of the room from Riku.

Once the magical prison was gone Riku felt some of the tension leave his shoulders, but he still didn't feel safe until he'd successfully summoned his Keyblade. He saw Lenore eye his weapon warily and made a vague 'don't-worry' gesture in her direction. Unfortunately that only succeeded in making her flinch as the blade's tip flicked slightly closer to her. She scooted away from him on the floor until she bumped up against the leg of a sofa, onto which she hoisted herself; her wary eyes never left Riku. '_What's one more enemy?'_ he thought with a mental sigh, and casually shouldered the Keyblade.

"This room sure has a lot of sofas in it," Lenore remarked, glancing around at the furnishings of the room.

"I think that's why they call it a sitting room," Cybele responded with much snark. Sora laughed and Cybele's cheeks got a little pinker.

Sora climbed onto the chaise lounge next to Cybele and looked expectantly at Auron. "So you've been in contact with the King… Do you know what we've got to do to keep the darkness from spreading? We've probably just got to find the Keyhole, right?"

Auron pursed his lips. "Not quite."

"Then what do we have to do?"

"It's not a matter of finding them. We already know where most of them are."

"Uh… 'them'? There's more than one?" Sora's innate bubbling enthusiasm seems to wane slightly at the prospect.

"Five, actually."

"FIVE?!" Riku blurted out.

"Well, at least we know where they are! So all we have to do is go and close them," Cybele said, patting Sora's hand.

Auron cleared his throat. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"It never is," Sora said, pouting very slightly. "What's the catch?"

"The Abyss—that's what the people here call the world in the Realm of Darkness to which Sabrie is connected—is deeply embroiled in the politics of this world." Auron sighs heavily at the thought; it's clear he would prefer to leave politics out of the equation. Riku couldn't help but agree.

"You know as Keyblade wielders, you aren't supposed to meddle in the affairs of other worlds. In the case of this one… well, it's inevitable, but we have to proceed as delicately as possible. Every Door to the Darkness is associated with a separate noble house. The Dukes have the keys to these doors—not Keyblades, mind you, but a similar concept, except they each only work on one door, and only to open them, not to close them for good like you can. You will need to appease each Duke in turn, and gain their Key. Not to mention, each Door is guarded by a powerful Chain that you will need to defeat in order to access the Keyhole."

"Er, what's a Chain?" Sora asked, looking progressively more daunted with every word Auron spoke.

"A Chain is a—"

"BOSS!" A large bald man wearing dark sunglasses burst through the door, out of breath and looking frantic. "It's the Knave again. He's attacking the city directly. Casualties like you wouldn't believe! Should I send Raven and Xerxes?"

Sora shouts "What?! People are dying?" at the same moment that Auron says "No, sending for them would waste valuable time. We need to hit this thing hard before it disappears again. Sora, Riku, the Knave is a Chain that appears at random and never seeks a Contract, just devours as many people as possible. He'll vanish back into the Abyss eventually, but not before he's done too much harm. Hurry, get rid of this thing, and I'll explain everything when you get back."

"We're already gone. Come on, guys!" Sora's face is all business. "There's no time to lose!" And just like that, he's sprinting down the hall after Rude, trailing Riku, Lenore, and Cybele a few paces behind.

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The Pandora-issued carriage clattered to a rapid halt in the middle of the city. Everywhere was a muddled panic of scorch marks and fleeing innocents. In the center of the street, surrounded by lesser Heartless, was a towering figure with a sharp-toothed grin twisting its warped, distorted face. The figure was easily five times Riku's height, and seemed to be entirely black, white, orange, and brilliant red. A two-pointed orange and black Jester's hat topped its sinister face, a face that was split in two down the middle, one half white with a red heart over its eye and cheek, and the other half completely black but for the red gleam of its eye. The rest of its body was angular and impossibly narrow, decked in random, garish patches of stripes and harlequin diamonds. And it was hurling bolts of fire every which way, cackling with delight any time one of its flames caught and charred one of the fleeing masses. When it managed to catch someone, it would reach down with long, spindly black fingers, pick them up, and pop them—still writhing, screaming, and wreathed in flame—into its gaping mouth.

Riku ran out of the carriage first, Keyblade materializing instantly in his hand, and leapt up toward the monster. Seeing him, the Knave's sick smile twisted downward into a hateful grimace. The Knave tried to swat Riku out of the air, but Riku just used its hand as a springboard to leap closer to the monster's face. By the time Sora was able to get out of the carriage, Riku was already keeping the Knave well-distracted, striking hard at its eyes, making it squint and stagger backward.

Sora gave Lenore and Cybele a firm "Stay here!" before he followed Riku out of the carriage. He ran into the fray and started hopping and striking at the Knave's legs and feet; the Knave, distracted adequately by Riku, didn't seem to notice Sora at all.

"Like hell we're staying in here," Lenore spat angrily. "Come on, we can help!"

"Wait, Norah!" Cybele said, placing a staying hand on Lenore's arm and looking out at the brawl. The Knave stumbled over a horse-drawn cart, shattering it to pieces and freeing the horse, who fled wild-eyed and foaming at the mouth. Riku had to cling to the jester's shoulder to keep from flying into the wall of a nearby building. "Look at that. I—I don't want you to get hurt!"

"We don't have to run straight at the huge guy. Look, the little ones are hurting people all over. I can't stay here. I'll be careful, I'll be fine," Lenore insisted, and hopped out of the car.

"W-wait! I'm coming too!" Cybele said, slightly flustered, and followed.

Lenore didn't protest, just shouted, "Stay close to me!" as she pelted toward a small mob of four or five skittering Shadows that were menacing an elderly man with a cane. She summoned Yesterday's Grace and started hacking away at them, slightly astonished at the increased agility and strength that her Fairy-made clothes afforded her. Behind her, she heard Cybele shout "Thunder!" and then cry out with fear. Instinctively, Lenore spun around to see another small Heartless mob distracted from the young woman they'd been attacking by Cybele's spell. Cybele backed away, calling "Thunder, Thunder!" several more times until all but one of the Heartless had dissolved away. The last one leapt at Cybele's face, claws extended; she yelped and slashed at it in midair, dispatching it just as Lenore, who had been distracted from her earlier opponents, got a powerful claw to the middle of her back.

Lenore cried out in pain and fell forward onto a knee, but managed to twist her torso around and cleave the Heartless behind her in two as it tried to jump at her again. She hoisted herself up, wincing slightly, and cast an Aero shield around herself. It didn't last long, but it gave her a moment to get her bearings. The elderly man had fled, and only two of the earlier mob remained, so she cast a Fire spell to get rid of them. She knew she couldn't use much more magic without resting, and Cybele, who had hurried over to her, was showing signs of magical exhaustion as well.

"I think—" Cybele said between heavy breaths, "We need—a little more—practice."

Lenore managed a breathy laugh, but it turned into a cough. "I can still help," she said. To their left, a young boy screamed and fell onto the side of the road, set upon by a clanking, helmeted Soldier. Lenore and Cybele glanced at one another.

"Together?" Lenore asked. Cybele nodded. They ran toward it, blades aloft, and struck in unison; Lenore's strike crushed its body, while Cybele's sent its helmeted head flying in the opposite direction. Cybele knelt down to examine the boy, whose eyes were squeezed shut in terror.

Just then, the Knave managed to hook a claw-like hand around Riku as he jumped in for another strike. With a blast of flame, he threw Riku aside; the silverette rolled as he hit the ground, making some unpleasant crunching noises.

Lenore blanched and ran over to him, turning him face-up. He was breathing, but shallowly; he was covered in shiny burns, and from the look of his chest, one of his ribs was probably broken. Lenore gingerly opened his shirt. He was covered in small bloody wounds, and a horrid bruise was blossoming all across the left side of his body. She rummaged in her pockets for a Hi-Potion, unscrewed the lid, and tipped the liquid out onto his torso; it glittered as the magic went to work. Riku's breathing evened out, and some of the fear ebbed from Lenore's face. She was smearing some more on the worst of Riku's burns when Cybele screamed "Norah!" and tackled her down to the ground.

A moment later, the fireball the Knave had just thrown landed right where Lenore had been. It left a smoking crater behind in the cobbled road, and a spray of sharp stones hit Cybele's back as she shielded her sister bodily from the shrapnel. She winced. Some of these were definitely going to bruise.

Without looking down, the Knave kicked Sora aside. Now that he was free of Riku's distraction, he began hurling bolts of fire once more, seeming to delight in the destruction they caused. Cybele rolled aside to avoid another fireball, but Lenore was too slow to follow; she was hit dead-on, and lay motionless in the street beside the equally-motionless Riku. Cybele screamed and scrambled back toward her sister, but the Knave strode over and knocked her aside. She hit the broad side of a nearby building, and with a soft exhalation she crumpled to the ground.

Sora howled angrily and shifted into his Master form. His clothes turned a shocking yellow as he gripped his double Keyblades and charged with preternatural speed toward the Knave…

Who looked down at Sora, came to a screeching halt mid-step, and vanished.

Sora's momentum carried him a few paces past where the Knave had been standing. Bewildered, he looked left, right, up, and around. He even lifted one of his feet up and checked underneath… just in case the Knave had shrunk down somehow and gotten smushed. He turned around to shrug, but there wasn't anybody to shrug at; momentarily, he missed Donald and Goofy very badly.

Even with the most pressing danger having apparently vanished into midair, though, Sora didn't have time to focus on missing anybody for very long. He zipped around as fast as he could dispatching the lesser Heartless, then raced to the aid of Riku and the girls.

When Sora saw the state that all of them were in, he nearly choked. Riku had clearly been tended with a potion or two already, as his scratches and cuts all had the pink, healed-over look of a week-old wound. Still, his face was horridly pale, and he winced when he breathed. Sora felt a pang of guilt. He'd let his friend get hurt; he wasn't fast or strong enough to protect him. Riku had gone through so much pain already. He shouldn't have to keep fighting. None of them should. All of this was supposed to end when they closed the Door to Darkness! But all Sora had managed to do that day was trap his best friend in a world of shadows; he hadn't spared him any pain at all. Sora didn't feel his usual cheerful self at all as he tilted Riku's head back and fed him another Potion. Some of the color came back to Riku's cheeks, his breathing eased completely, and Sora turned to the other two.

Lenore's clothes had protected most of her body from the burns, but her arms and face were singed badly. One burn in particular, on the right side of her face, seemed worse than the rest. Sora poured Hi-Potion liberally over it, relieved when it didn't seem that it would form a scar. Like Riku, Lenore was too exhausted from the battle to wake when her wounds healed; she remained unconscious as Sora walked over to Cybele.

Of the three of them, Cybele was the least wounded. She didn't seem to be bleeding or burnt at all, merely banged up a bit. Sora had crouched down beside her to examine her when the hairs on the back of his neck prickled ominously.

Someone was behind him.

Every muscle in Sora's body tensed. He waited a few moments. If they were friendly, surely they would announce themselves…

The moments passed. Sora could hear… whoever it was… softly breathing, as though in awe. The uneasy feeling crept all the way down his spine, sending shivers over his body. "W-who's there?"

No response.

"I'm warning you…" he said, with more bravado than he felt. But still, the figure said nothing. Finally, Sora had had enough. "That's it!" he shouted. With a chink, his Keyblade fell into his hand and he spun around, but the momentum of his strike halted before it began. The mysterious Someone had stopped his Keyblade, and was holding it motionless by the shaft.

"Stop! I don't want to hurt you. I tried so hard to find you!"

Sora's eyes went wide with shock, and all the breath flew out of his lungs. Someone was achingly familiar.

"I can't believe… I found you."

Sora tasted blood in his mouth as he was suddenly, bruisingly kissed.


End file.
